A Couple of years after I got to know Mr.Patankar ( Sampark) as a Rural specialist I had a dream. In the dream I visit Kolhapur on an invitation from Patankar and discover that he lives in a big palace with a river running behind the house. During my recent re-union trip to Kolhapur I found that my dream was not far from reality.
It was a re-union meeting with a difference. A get-together
of four stalwarts of Rural marketing who had started the `Rural Network` in
2002 as a business idea which paved the
way for starting the Rural Marketing Association of India in 2005. Since my
retirement from active professional life
and after publishing my auto biography,
I have developed a keen desire to meet old friends from different walks of life
who have crossed my path at different stages. When I mooted the idea, Mr.Patankar
( Sampark) promptly extended an invitation to the group consisting of Pradeep
Kashyap( Mart) and Pradeep Lokhande ( Rural Relations) and I ( Anugrah Madison)
to visit Kolhapur during the third week-end in March, promising a good time. We
accepted the invitation with pleasure and were not disappointed. Though Lokhande could
not join us at the last minute because of his mother`s critical health, Kashyap & I visited his home in
Pune, to pay our respects to his mother,
on our way to Kolhapur. Inspite of the tension at home Lokhande
hosted a High Tea for us which Kashyap & I immensely relished.
After a pleasant four hour drive from Poona to
Kolhapur, with a stop over for `Vada
Paav & Mishal` lunch on the way,
Kashyap & I checked into Hotel Atria where we were Patankar`s special
guests. Once we reached Kolhapur, we were
recipients of the overwhelming hospitality extended to us by the genial and
friendly Bal or Ram as Patankar is known among his near and dear ones. Patankar
who belongs to a Princely family of
Kolhapur, lives in a beautiful palace with the
families of his two sons. It was
close to what I saw in my dream. The palace belonging to his mother`s
family was built by a British architect 103 years ago and
is maintained well by the Patankar family.
Mr.Patankar owns several other properties
in & around Kolhapur, including two hotels; a Tourist Hotel started
by his father six decades ago and the
recently started Hotel Atria, both belonging to Patankar Hospitality Pvt.Ltd,
efficiently run by Patankar`s two sons. Hotel Atria where we were put up for a
night is a well appointed business hotel with a good ambience and excellent
facilities for business travelers.
. A sumptuous Maharashtrian dinner was awaiting us at Patankar`s home on the first night. Listening
to Mr. Patankar describe the number of activities that he has been involved with, covering several
businesses including an agricultural farm, apart from cricket and a few NGOs , my respect for him
went up several notches. Such a versatile man, yet so humble,
he was humility personified- It
was awesome knowing the real Mr.Patankar! His life story can be material for an
excellent biography!
The next morning saw us visiting the famous Mahalakshmi
temple followed by a visit to Siddhagiri museum which has a display of some
famous episodes depicting the achievements of our country in various sciences
including Ayurvedha, medicine etc featuring life size sculptures. While these
are in a closed environment, the scenes depicting a typical rural life showing
craftsmen from more than a dozen occupations are in the open and are very
realistic in looks! A quick visit to Kolhapur Palace later with a scion of the family ( Patankar himself)
acting as a guide was a unique experience. The city tour ended at Tourist Hotel
where we were treated to another
delicious Maharashtrian lunch.
In the afternoon, after a brief rest we drove to Fort
Panhalgad located in the Sahayadri range at a height of 3127 ft, only 20kms
away from Kolhapur. Mr.Patankar had arranged for our stay at a Resort called Hotel Hilltop located at the highest
point in the Fort.
Fort Panahala is well known for the famous historical figure
Shivaji, who ruled his kingdom from this fort and also for several lakes,
gardens, temples and vantage points of historical importance like Teen Darwaja,
Ambarkhana, Rede mahal etc. The legendary singer Latha Mangeshkar owns a Bungalow in this resort town. We had
a brief visit to a couple of sites before checking into the Hotel Hill top. Rest
of the evening over dinner and in the morning over breakfast we talked &
talked- going down memory lane, sharing
many facets of our respective
lives unknown to the others. This is where I learnt more about the fascinating story of Patanakar`s
life and Mr.Kashyp`s foray into spiritualism during the Nineties and his long
journey from being a corporate honcho to become the Father of Rural Marketing.
The bonding we felt at the end of the trip is something we will cherish for a
life time.
The memorable trip came to an
end after our breakfast meeting. While Kashyap and I left for Pune , Mr.Patankar was driving to
another resort away from Kolhapur for a family re-union get-together. Before
leaving I had persuaded both Patankar & Kashyap to make a sincere attempt
to write their memoirs. Hope they will consider my suggestion seriously. We also resolved to have such
re-union get-together every year- the next meet
will be in Chennai/Pondichery to be hosted by me.
Nothing like meeting old friends and going down memory lane!
No comments:
Post a Comment